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  • RadioCity, Radio Mirchi, Big FM, Red FM, Fever FM, Radio One, Oye! FM were some of the top FM stations in the big four metros

    RAMcheck: No change in #1 stations across RAM markets

    By A Correspondent

     

    TAM Media’s Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) – which covers four key metros, Mumbai,Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru – released its latest radio listenership figures for Wk 8 to Wk11 (Last two weeks of February 2012 and first two weeks of March 2012).

     

    According to the latest RAM data, for listeners of 12 years of age and above, all places of listening, and according to radio channel shares,RadioCity, Radio Mirchi, Fever FM, Big FM, Red FM, Radio One, Oye! FM were some of the top FM stations in the big four metros.

     

    WhileRadioCityretained its leadership position in Mumbai and Bengaluru, Fever FM and Radio Mirchi also continued to remain the leading FM stations inDelhiand Kolkata respectively.

     

    Mumbai:

    RadioCitycontinues to be the most popular FM station in Mumbai, as the FM station has maintained its leadership position in the city. Ranked second is Radio Mirchi followed by AIR FM2 Gold, Fever FM and Big FM which are ranked third, fourth and fifth respectively. These top five FM stations and Red FM, ranked sixth have secured their listenership share in double digits. The other FM stations in the city include Oye! FM, Radio One, AIR FM1 Rainbow, Vividh Bharati and Akashavani Mumbai.

     

     

    Delhi:

    According to the Wk8 to Wk 11 RAM data, Fever FM has once again retained its leadership position inDelhiwith a listenership share of 18.6 per cent followed by AIR FM2 Gold which garnered a share of 18.5 per cent. Although Fever FM is the number one FM station ofDelhi, the government owned AIR FM2 Gold is a close second. What remains to be seen is whether Fever FM is able to widen the gap between the number one and number two FM station? Or will AIR FM2 Gold claim the leadership title?  Once the undisputed leader ofDelhi, Radio Mirchi is now ranked three with a share of 15.2 per cent followed byRadioCityand Red FM with a share of 12.3 per cent respectively. The top five FM stations have received their station share in double digits. The other cluster of FM stations inDelhiincludes Oye! FM, Radio One, AIR FM1 Rainbow, Hit FM, Vividh Bharati and Akashvani Mumbai.

     

     

    Bengaluru:

    RadioCitymaintained its leadership position in Bengaluru with a share of 26 per cent, its nearest rival Radio Mirchi, on the other hand, received a share of 21.7 per cent. Ranked three is Big FM with a share of 17.6 per cent followed by Red FM which received a share of 12.8 per cent. While the top four FM radio stations in Bengaluru received a double digit share, AIR FM1 Rainbow which is ranked five received a share of 6.1 per cent. The other clusters of FM station in the city are Fever FM, Radio One, Radio Indigo, Gyan Vani, Akashavani and Vividh Bharati.

     

     

    Kolkata:

    The top five FM stations of Kolkata continue to remain the same. Radio Mirchi is unanimously the most popular FM station in Kolkata with a whopping 22.9 per cent of the station share. Its nearest rival is Big FM which received a share of 16.8 per cent followed by Friends FM and Aamar FM which are ranked four and five respectively. Kolkata is the only RAM market which perhaps has not seen a change in the top four rankings in a long time. While Fever FM and Red FM are ranked five and six respectively, other clusters of FM station in Kolkata are Oye! FM, Radio One, Power FM, AIR FM1 Rainbow, AIR FM2 Gold, Vividh Bharati and Akashavani Kolkata.

     

  • They used to be among the most coveted honours for creative talent but at 63rd Cag awards last Saturday, only young talent & a veteran were recognised

    Why Cag has stopped awarding seniors

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    (with generous inputs from a speech by Gangadharan Menon)

     

    Those who’ve been part of the ad and media fraternity for less than a decade may be wondering why the Big Story today is on the Cag Awards. In fact the only CAG in their lives is perhaps the Comptroller and Auditor General, better known for unearthing scams and irregularities so very frequently.

     

    The reason why most of our youth is unaware of what Cag is has perhaps got to do with the decay that has set into the way ad awards were being conducted. Communication Arts Guild, or Cag (written in upper-lower as against all caps) as is popularly known as in advertising circles, was founded in 1950. The sole purpose then, and now, is to spot, nurture and reward talent in the field of creative communications. Initially it started off specifically for commercial artists, but over the years it expanded to include all forms of creative communications. And in fact, the name too changed from Commercial Artists Guild to Communication Arts Guild to reflect this change.

     

    The highlight every year was the Annual Cag Awards in various communication categories, culminating in the Art Director of the Year and the Cag Hall of Fame. The following year would see the release of the Cag Annual that would feature the previous year’s awardwinning work.

     

    Somewhere in the mid-90s, the much-coveted Cag Awards were discontinued. Reason: the unchecked and uncontrolled proliferation of what came to be known as scam advertising. Meaning, advertising that was never released in mass media, but was created only for the purpose of winning awards. The client was fictitious (or perhaps that cobbler or panwallah down the road who never needed any advertising), the brief was non-existent and the media was unaware of their existence. When 90 per cent of the entries started belonging to this obnoxious category, Cag called it quits. And with it stopped the highly sought-after Cag Awards, and thereby dried up Cag’s only source of funding. But the very next year, Cag started the Young Cag Awards, to spot, nurture and reward the young creative talents in the various art colleges across the city. And for a dozen years, it has been feeding the advertising and allied applied arts industries with a steady stream of young talent.

     

    Over the academic year, Cag holds various workshops by practising professionals, and at the end of the year conducts a meticulous talent hunt across all art colleges. Starting this year, the hunt has been extended to art colleges across the country. This culminates in various awards given across categories: Cub Illustrator, Cub Photographer, Cub Copywriter, Cub Typographer, Cub Designer, Cub Ideator and Cub Art Director of the Year. An exhibition of this awardwinning work is held every year after the awards function to inspire younger students to excel in the creative communications field.

     

    These awards are purely funded by the interest earned from the earlier kitty generated by the Cag Awards for Professionals. There is no fresh source of funding as Cag doesn’t believe in charging award entry fees to students. The people who work for Cag do it pro bono, merely giving back to an industry that gave them fame and fortune.

     

    In the year 2010, Cag took a decision to go digital. And it digitised around 36 Cag Annuals and put them on its website. This is a treasure-trove of advertisements that appeared between 1950 and 1995; and is the only source for students, academicians and professionals who want to understand the creative evolution of Indian Advertising.

     

    One of the recognitions that continued uninterrupted is the prestigious Cag Hall of Fame. A citation and award that recognises and acknowledges an individual’s seminal contribution in the field of creative communications, spanning a few decades. This illustrious Hall has already inducted various luminaries into its hallowed precincts: Kersy Katrak, Panna Jain, Ravi Gupta, Frank Simoes, Gerson da Cunha, Avinash Godbole, Arun Kale and Arun Kolhatkar.

     

    This year, Kiran Nagarkar was inducted into the Cag Hall of Fame. For his outstanding contribution in pioneering some of the finest campaigns in Indian advertising and for his versatile talent in other fields of creative writing: as a playwright, screenplay writer and an award-winning novelist.

     

    Nagarkar made a plea to the audience to not let Cag to die and made a clarion call to young creative professionals to shun scam advertising.

    # #

     

    What would you expect creative boys and girls to be doing on a Saturday morning? Majorly hung over, getting off their beds a little before noon? Guess we’ve got it all wrong. On Saturday, April 7, right in the middle of the looong Good Friday weekend, Cag held its 63rd annual awards function. At the Ravindra Natya Mandir at Prabhadevi. Since most of the award-winners were students, it was a packed house. Except for the front rows since the ad fraternity and some of the other leading lights among ‘communication artists’ don’t appear to quite care about being present. “It’s perhaps because Cag is now essentially a students’ show with just one veteran being awarded,” said one senior art director.

     

    The Cag committee comprises veteran professionals like Samir Khanzode, Gangadharan Menon, Sunil Mahadik, Gopi Kukde, Brendan Pereira, Ranjan Joshi and Sachin Puthran. Cag, according to vice president Gangadhar Menon is clear it doesn’t want to revive the awards for seniors. Unfortunate, because surely there ought to be a way in which one should be able to eliminate scam ads. Or at least minimise them. Cag comprises and celebrates creativity. It must now find a creative (and effective) solution to the problem.

     

     

     

     

  • In Freaking News, which will now appear every Tuesday and Friday, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare in the morning papers and the nightly news. And sometimes the afternooners, the newsmags and all that's on the Web

    For the 100th edition of Freaking News, some TV awards

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Outright, hands down, CNN-IBN wins the award for Silliest Debate Topic Ever On A Monday Night: “Is Yuvraj Singh the next Lance Armstrong?”. For those who have been living on Mars, cricketer Yuvraj Singh has been under treatment for cancer in the US and has just returned to India. A long recovery period lies ahead. Ace cyclist Lance Armstrong, a tour de force on the Tour de France, won his battle with cancer and didn’t let it affect his sporting prowess and achievements. Surely however, it is far too early to comment on Singh’s condition and future at all, although there must be every hope for a full recovery and return to form. Under the circumstances, this kind of discussion appears insensitive and illogical.

     

    * * *

     

    The Earnest Sadness In The Face of Terrible Facts award for Monday night goes to Arnab Goswami and Times Now on the discussion about a spurt in incidents of violence committed by teenagers. Goswami rued that the motto of “Simple living and high thinking” no longer made sense to the post-reforms generation and participants talked about how the drive for money and success had skewed values for young people. There was a pall of gloom all over the Times Now set as actors ruminated on the terrible effects of money and lack of supervision on young people. I had to use at least three hankies. Note to self: keep a box of tissues next to the television.

     

    * * *

     

    The award for showing Immense Fortitude In The Face Of Severe Provocation is shared jointly by Nidhi Razdan of NDTV and Sagorika Ghose of CNN-IBN as they attempted to control Trinamool whatever-he-is Derek O’Brien as he defended his Supreme Leader Mamata Banerjee from the wicked media. First on NDTV and then on CNN-IBN, O’Brien shouted, flustered and blustered his way through as he got angrier and angrier that anyone had dared to criticise his Supreme Leader. Razdan had him first and she barely managed to get him to stop talking so that the other guests could have their say.

     

    By the time he reached CNN-IBN, he had worked himself into a fine rage. He then “had words” with a CPI spokesperson which descended to phrases like “You are not the king of me” being bandied about. He then called Lord Meghnad Desai ‘Lord Swarj Paul” which led to another bout in which O’Brien emerged bloody. Then he and Desai got into another spat.

     

    All in all, Ghose was out-shouted and had to use her diplomatic skills (come on, we’re all born with them) to stop her guests from killing O’Brien. Even Dexter seemed kind and gentle after all this.

     

    * * *

     

    After all that, Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show on Comedy Central gets the award for Restoring Sanity to News Analysis as he took on the shooting of American teenager Trayvon Martin by a Neighbourhood Watch member George Zimmerman in Florida. Stewart asked all the questions that anyone following the case wants answers to.

    Phew.

     

  • TV Today scrip rises on rumours of AV Birla Group picking up stake in Living Media

    TV Today scrip rises on rumours of AV Birla group picking up stake in Living Media

    By A Correspondent

     

    The TV Today Network has always been making news thanks to the fact that it runs Aaj Tak, the premier Hindi news channel other than a host of others. On Monday, amidst speculation that the Aditya Birla group is picking up a sizeable minority stake in the Living Media, which in turn owns a majority (57.15%) stake in TV Today, the television news company shares surged 15.23 per cent closing at Rs 68.10 on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

     

  • Sinha is upbeat on crossing the first hurdle of judging and promises that this year the work showcased at the Fest will be high quality

    9 Days to Go-Goafest | Shashi Sinha on the judging process

    Shashi Sinha, President of Ad Club Bombay and Chairman of Awards Governing Council has played a critical role in the cleaning up of awards at the Goafest which has come under a scanner post the incident of self voting and leaking of award results. Having started the process last year to bring credibility to the awards, Sinha is now upbeat on crossing the first hurdle and promises that this year the work showcased at the Fest will be high quality. Here’s Sinha throwing some light on the judging process.

     

    Yesterday evening, as I stepped out from the Direct jury discussions, I must admit that I felt overwhelmed by the quality of conversation this year. We have been encouraging the jury to engage in long discussion as that is the only way to understand the nuances involved in the work. More the discussion, more the clarity in judging the works.

     

    In fact, this year we have increased the number of jury in each category from 6 to 8 in the last year to 10 to 12 this year, thus having a better representation of people. We have fine-tuned the judging process and added more categories. We have also increased the number of Grand Prix that will cover all the 9 verticals (10 if you consider Print and Print Craft separately) where again role of conversation will play a critical role in finding ‘the work’. We have also moved to secret voting thus allowing the jury to make their choice without worrying about upsetting anyone from the fraternity which was the case when voting happened by show of hands.

     

    We had tackled these issues last year, but I would say that last year at the Fest the focus was to get the process right and clean up the issues that had marred the awards. We were focusing on bringing transparency to the entire judging process and make it tight and fair. The AGC and KPMG are now familiar with how things ran last year hence there is more comfort with the procedure and protocol.

     

    Now with process in place we are working towards improving the quality of work being showcased. I must admit that we have achieved this seeing the quality of discussion we have been having, I feel proud to be part of the industry.

     

    We have also been giving a week’s break after the R1 of judging just so that there is a gap and judging happens with a fresh perspective, without any preconceived notions. Also, while shortlists were announced earlier, we are not doing this now, so that even for judges as they walk in for R2 there is an element of surprise to see the shortlist, paving way for fresh conversation. As earlier, where all the shortlists were showcased at Goa, now we will only showcase the finalists, resulting in a better quality of display as the works would have gone two filtering process.

     

    In fact, we are finished with the R1 in all categories this year and almost in the last leg of judging with 3 categories left. Today, we will judge the interactive which I am looking forward to. It is an upcoming category and I am sure it would be fun being a part of it. This year, we have also had entries from South Asian countries and even though the number is not much but it is good beginning that will give the fest a larger footprint.

     

    We have also split the award to two days as that was a feedback we got from people. So the 3Ds- Direct, Digital and Design will be given on the night of April 20, the rest will be given on April 21.

     

    In my mind, the judging process may have become complicated and is time consuming but the changes have happened for good. Goafest is here to stay and each year we have bettered it, like this year we have an impressive list of international speakers, given the fact it’s been a rough year for the industry. We have also managed the location issue as the Zuri White Sands is a better location as opposed to the beach. I think we have got the formula right for the Fest now. Just keeping my fingers crossed.

     

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

     

  • Bloomberg UTV business head Deepak Lamba is moving on. Destination and his replacement are not known.

    Fm y’day: Deepak Lamba quits Bloomberg UTV

    By A Correspondent (updated)

     

    Bloomberg UTV business head Deepak Lamba has put in his papers. Mr Lamba is reported to be serving notice and he will be at the channel till end-April, sources close to the development informed MxMIndia.

     

    Mr Lamba, has been business head of the channel since January 2010, and earlier reported to Mr M K Anand and more recently to the Board said to be comprising two representatives from Reliance, one from UTV and a fourth from Bloomberg.

     

    MxMIndia has learnt that a replacement for Mr Lamba has not been named. Before joining Bloomberg UTV, he was Director – Viacom Brand Solutions and worked with MTV India for five years.

     

    Mr Lamba is reported to be moving to a larger role in a larger conglomerate, sources tell us.

     

  • TAM NCT Data Wk 13 ’12

     

    Source: News Content Track – A service of TAM Media Research Pvt. Ltd
    Channels: Aaj Tak, CNN IBN, Headlines Today, IBN 7, India TV, NDTV 24/7, NDTV India, Star News, Times Now, News 24 & Zee News
    Period : Week 13 – Mar 25 to March 31, 2012
    Note : Analysis is based on the Telecast duration

    

    

    

    About TAM Media Research
    

    TAM is a joint venture between Nielsen Company & Kantar Media Research. Besides measuring TV Viewership, TAM also monitors Advertising Expenditure of Television, Print & Radio through its division AdEx India. Since 2004, it extended its presence in the PR Measurement & Analysis space for Corporate/Marketing Clients by setting up a separate division Eikona PR Measurement.
    

     
    

    In 2007, the joint venture introduced RAM (Radio Audio Measurement) service to track Radio Listenership for the Indian Radio Broadcast Industry. In year 2009, TAM launched a division, called TAM Sports that specializes in monitoring Sports Sponsorship ROI.
    

     
    

    TAM Media Research’s objective is to fuel media insights that will drive the growth of the Indian Media Industry.
    

     
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Behind every great commercial is super strategy. Every week, MxMIndia will bring you the brief, the strat, and whatever else went into creating an outstanding ad. AdStrat is compiled by Shubhangi Mehta.
    
			
    Ad Strat: A star role for Karnataka Bank
    
			
    Sandeep Pai, Creative Head, Bangalore, R K Swamy BBDO
    

     
    

    1. Name of the Campaign:
    

    Corporate Branding
    

     
    

    2. The Brief:
    

    Increase awareness amongst the consumers about Karnataka Bank.
    

     
    

    


    
[youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqRPQT0mGuY[/youtube]

    
    

    

    3. Research insights:
    

    Karnataka Bank has a very low awareness level across India. We had to come up with a brand communication which helped the brand to be known.
    

     
    

    4. The thought process behind the creative:
    

    Since the objective of the ad was primarily to raise awareness within a short time, the creative focused on the most recognizable aspect of the bank, which was the motif of the star in their logo. And in most people’s lives, it’s a bank that plays the star role in realizing their dreams and aspirations. We just made this star a central focus of the ad and enhanced the association further with a memorable track.
    

     
    

    5. Media vehicles chosen:
    

    Television.
    

     
    

    6. Key issues kept in mind while executing the ad:
    

    Increase the awareness level and branding.
    

     
    

    7. Does the treatment do justice to the brief?
    

    Yes.
    

     
    

    8. What is the differentiating factor about the ad?
    

    The story line and the music.
    

     
    

    9. Market and client feedback:
    

    Very good, and recall value is high.
    

     
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    The Havas Media CEO for South Asia has put in her papers and is all set to put in her learnings of 28 years as Head of Customer Strategy at The Times of India group.
    
			
    Anita Nayyar quits Havas, to join BCCL as Head of Customer Strategy
    
			
    By A Correspondent
    

     
    

    Havas Media CEO – South Asia Anita Nayyar is moving on and is joining Bennett Coleman and Company Ltd (BCCL) as Head of Customer Strategy.
    

     
    

    A Havas Media spokesperson has confirmed the development. While a hunt is on for Ms Nayyar’s replacement, Mr Mohit Joshi, until now Managing Partner of MPG India, has now been elevated to Managing Director.
    

     
    

    “It is a challenging role and I will be able to utilise all the learnings of 28 years from the agency side,” Ms Nayyar told MxMIndia indicating that she will continue to be based in Delhi.
    

     
    

    Ms Nayyar has been with Havas since 2007 and prior to this was Executive Director at Starcom and Vice President at Mudra Communications.
    

     
    

    Said Mr Vishnu Mohan, CEO, Havas Media APAC, “After five years, Anita leaves behind an organization seven times stronger with several specialist brands that today are over 40% of group’s portfolio and a strong talent force that are leaders in their own right. We thank her for her stewardship and wish her every success in this new stint on the other side after 28 years in the agency business. We are at present in the process of identifying a suitable leader for this role and should make an announcement to that effect shortly.”
    

     
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    The pitch was announced in February and went through multiple rounds before SpiceJet finally awarded the account to Grey Worldwide
    
			
    SpiceJet awarded the account to Grey Worldwide, Delhi
    
			
    By A Correspondent
    

     
    

    Spicejet,India’s leading low-cost airline has appointed Grey Worldwide,Delhias its partner to handle its communication mandate. SpiceJet called for a multi agency pitch, including GIIR, Draft +FCB, Lowe, BBDO and Contract, the incumbent agency. The pitch was announced in February and went through multiple rounds before SpiceJet finally awarded the account to Grey Worldwide,Delhi.
    

     
    

    SpiceJet Ltd started its operation on May 23, 2005. Today SpiceJet connects 32 cities inIndiaalong with 2 international destinations. It has more than 274 daily flights across its network. SpiceJet has a fleet of 32 Boeing 737-800 and 737-900ER aircraft. The fleet also includes 7 Bombardier Q400 which are quick, quiet and comfortable.
    

     
    

    According to Neil Mills, CEO SpiceJet Ltd: “We selected Grey Advertising for the strength of their creative strategy and the passion exhibited by their team. The Agency will have an important role to play in building the brand further as we grow, enabling SpiceJet to achieve its aim of becoming a people’s airline and hence a carrier of choice.”
    

     
    

    Dip Sengupta, VP and Branch Head, Grey Delhi said: “It’s a very exciting win for us. SpiceJet is a great brand and it’s an honour to be chosen to partner it, as it charts its flight-path into the heartland ofIndia.”
    

     
    

    Uddalak Gupta ECD Grey Delhi said: “Our approach was to think beyond the obvious and the conventional, and come up with solutions where customer engagement was key. In ways that hadn’t been done before in the Indian aviation industry.”
    

     
    

    According to Divya Pratap Mehta, VP Planning, Grey Delhi: “In a category which is commoditized and facing business pressures, we stuck to fundamentals. Our starting point was to keep business growth and differentiation at the heart of the strategy.”
    

     
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Introduces a special edition of travel Polos and casual wear for KKR players and fans
    
			
    Freecultr selected by Kolkata Knight Riders as Official Casual Wear Partner.
    
			
    By A Correspondent
    

     
    

    With IPL fever hitting the nation, Freecultr, ‘premium casual wear, done right’, continues to innovate by co-developing and securing partnership between the Kolkata Knight Riders, owned by Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, and Jay Mehta. This partnership fills a glaring void in sport-inspired lifestyle apparel in India- a range that is full lifestyle, but with strong inspiration and ties to sport as a category delivered with superior fabrics at reasonable prices.
    

     
    

    Freecultr launches its Sport collection with an exclusive edition of the KKR Official Travel Polo’s, Graphic T-shirts, and more KKR Official products to be launched and developed throughout the year. Freecultr has used KKR’s Purple, White, and Gold as the dominant theme to launch the exclusive collection, which not only reflects the spirit of the game but also connects with the sensibilities of the cricket lovers.
    

     
    

    Over the next few months, Freecultr Sport will also deliver a range of exciting and stylish lifestyle sport products for all customers. This exciting new category campaign will feature the tag line “Go Play!” and “Wanna Play?” and vivid imagery as its mantra.
    

     
    

    “We couldn’t be more pleased to launch our Freecultr Sport collection with the Official Casual Wear products for the Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR is a pre-eminent brand that stands for excellence and we are humbled to be chosen as its first Official Casual Wear Partner. This partnership reflects the trajectory and appeal of our brand and gives us much to be thankful for as we continue to grow. Epitomizing the competitive spirit of the game, we have designed our collection for KKR with a focus on style, colours, fabric, quality and affordability. We hope the team has a stellar season and wish them the greatest success in IPL5 and hopefully the Champion’s League.” said Sujal Shah, CEO and Co-Founder, Freecultr.
    

     
    

    “We are excited to announce our casual wear license agreement with Freecultr,” said Venky Mysore, MD/CEO of Kolkata Knight Riders. “The Kolkata Knight Riders prides itself in innovation and differentiation, and has decided to partner with Freecultr, as opposed to working with a supplier. Our main objective has always been to continually keep our fans engaged, excited, and delighted and we believe this partnership will give our fans an added sense of pride as they become the brand ambassadors of the Kolkata Knight Riders.”
    

     
    

    “Being a true lover and follower of cricket for years like most Indians, it’s heartening to be associated with this first of its kind innovative partnership. We are building our brand and product architecture keeping the new age consumer in mind. Tying up with a team like Kolkata Knight Riders is a perfect fit for Freecultr, and our main focus in designing the collection was to give the fans a feeling of belonging to the team and bring out the spirit and passion in fan support for KKR this season. We wish them luck for the coming season.” said Sandeep Singh, COO & Co-Founder, Freecultr.
    

     
    

    This partnership was ideated and co-developed The Wild East Group.
    

     
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Every week, Deepa Gahlot casts a critical eye over media reviews of Bollywood releases… in Reviewing the Reviews
    
			
    Reviewing the Reviews: Housefull 2
    
			
    Housefull 2
    

     
    

    Key Cast: Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Riteish Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade, Asin, Jacqueline Fernandez, Zarine Khan, Shahzan Padamsee, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty, Boman Irani
    

     
    

    Directed By: Sajid Khan
    

     
    

    Written By: Sajid Nadiadwala
    

     
    

    Produced By: Sajid Nadiadwala
    

     
    

    Sajid Khan is one of those filmmakers who revels in making crude comedies that work with a section of the masses and that encourages him to make more.
    

     
    

    Of course, films like Housefull 2 are critic proof and everybody who writes about it acknowledges it. The film has got 1 to 2 star ratings and teeth-gnashing rants from all except the trade papers and a weird 4 stars from the Times of India, which unfortunately serious cinema fans don’t take seriously any more. Four stars for this film, then what would they do when faced with a real masterpiece?
    

     
    

    Kunal Guha of yahoomovies gives it 1 and writes, “People getting kicked in the behind and falling in a puddle of embarrassment. Laughter track? Yes, please. Anyway, the film is about four friends, three of whom are pretending to be the fourth person- Jolly, who is the son of UK-based millionaire, JD. Why? Because it’s the only way to charm any prospective father-in-law. And just for fun, the two sets of fathers of the bride are arch enemies. How does that alter the plot? It doesn’t but allows for bitter exchanges filled with pokey insults and ridiculing confrontations. So much for your hard-earned multiplex ticket.”
    

     
    

    Sudhish Kamath of The HIndu titles his piece Dumb and Dumber and says. “The plot does not matter, you know what you are going to see, you are familiar with the territory because well, the stars and the action is just a rehash of the previous part that was successful and the plot and the background is just an excuse to unleash that action you have come to watch.”
    

     
    

    Rajeev Masand –1-star– says that it is for four-year-olds. Surely not! Kids do have better taste and thins one got a UA certificate. “Housefull 2, directed by Sajid Khan, is ‘bigger’ than the last film, but not necessarily better. To be fair, you can’t use words like ‘better’ or ‘funnier’ to compare these films; and asking me which one I preferred out of Housefull and Housefull 2 is like asking me what I’d rather have between a migraine and a hernia. Thank you, but I’ll pass. ” Ouch!
    

     
    

    Raja Sen of rediff. com calls it Shamefully Bad, slams down 1 star and writes, “Look, I have nothing against stupid comedies. The keyword, however, for Khan’s films is that he stresses the stupid part much too much, and all at the expense of the laughs. Even a basic, childishly simple gag – where a compulsive thief walks out of a sauna and pinches a character’s towel – is turned flat by Khan’s perplexing decision to equip that character, and only that character, with a towel for his head, which basically means he can wrap it around his privates and saunter out instead of being genuinely starkers and embarrassed. And so we have Chunky Pandey hiding behind a towel – a towel he’s holding in his bloody hands – and crying about how he wished he had a towel. Come on, Sajid, at least try to see the joke through, foolish as it is.”
    

     
    

    Anupama Chopra of Hindustan TimesT gives it a kindly 2 and writes, “If you are wondering about the quality of humour, here are some sample lines: At one point, a character says, “I got your virgin, I mean version” and “Langoors have my angoors.” Another one remarks, “You have piles in your brain.” One sequence has Riteish Deshmukh being bit on the rear end by an angry crocodile while Shreyas Talpade’s crotch is sucked by a python. In another, item-queen Malaika Arora Khan serenades Chakraborty and Boman Irani. And just when you think you’ve hit rock bottom, Khan springs a level lower. My vote for the grossest visual is Chakraborty romancing a dwarf maid.”
    

     
    

    Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gives it 1.5 and comemmts, “Several times in Housefull 2, random characters laugh at their own jokes and sing out: sense of huuuuumour. It pretty much says everything about the film, a sequel to the film of the same name which came out two years ago. You have to be able to find the doings of this vast cast amusing. And if you don’t, you have to be able to summon your funny bone to keep sitting, while pondering the cosmic corniness of the world according to Sajid Khan and other such weighty matters.”
    

     
    

    It’s all more in the same vein. The film makes money, Sajid Khan sticks his tongue out and goes from gross to grosser.